Broken
by PJOloverforeva74
Summary: Sandy realizes there is more to Jack than just fun and games. It's better than it sounds. No slash just friendship, and mild angst. Might be a oneshot. Rated T because I'm paranoid
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own ROTG if I did Jack wouldn't have been left without answers for 300 years**

He saw it in his silence. The way that sometimes he just wouldn't speak; even at the party that celebrated his Guardianship. He saw it in his eyes, they were so distant and lonely even when he was surrounded by people. He saw how he suffered from the worst type of loneliness. He could practically feel it whenever he wore his hood. And he was appalled that he only just noticed.

How did he not notice his hesitance to trust, to believe in someone? His need to be trusted, to be acknowledged, to be spoken to? How did he not notice how heavy the weight of immortality can be when you're all alone?

And worst of all, he never told them. No, not once did he ask for help when his inner demons came out to haunt him. But he noticed. He supposed it was his curse, a reminder that he failed this eternal child for centuries before bothering to really know him. And even then it was because he was quiet, he wouldn't say anything, did Jack trust him enough to lower his guard.

It was then that Sandy truly saw how broken, how shattered Jack truly was. And the simple realization physically/mentally/and emotionally hurt him each and every time. Jack is a broken child and all that's left was to pick up the pieces and try to put it back together again.


	2. Chapter 2

**So, I'm back. I'm not sure how many chapters this will be but let's hope for the best. Also to the utterly AMAZINGLY AWESOME people who follow me, I am planning to update my Reading the Life of the Lost Hero, as well as the Beginning, hopefully I'll have both updated by the twelfth. I do not own Rise of the Guardians, no matter how much I wish I did.**

His hood was up today. His usual bright, fragmented, joyful eyes were even more broken. Worse, they were empty, dull. Dead. He didn't speak, not even to say hello, and Sandy knewthat the Guardians would be hard pressed to get him to utter a sound. Sandy hoped that he wouldn't put on his usual façade; that he wouldn't mask his feelings. And so far he hadn't. It was just the two of them and the proverbial elephant in the room.

It was nice, Sandy thought, even if the two of them avidly avoided talking about his feelings. Then the others came. And a switch was flipped.

It was frightening, watching Jack's face morph from his true brokenness into a perfect plastic mask, complete with the hollow thousand-watt grin that completely fooled Tooth. His eyes took on a fake gleam, so much duller than his normal playful/mischievous glint. It was like a cheap rendition of the original, yet no one else seemed to notice. Or maybe…maybe they had but chose not to say anything.

And that was truly terrifying to Sandy. To be the only one who saw Jack's slow drag into the abyss of further despair and loneliness and have no way to help. To be the only one cognizant of the desperate state Jack was truly in; or worse. To be the only one cognizant and cared. Only when it came to Jack's precarious situation did the old guardian truly fear something besides the well-being of children. He was terrified to be so completely helpless because those who _could_ help, refused to acknowledge it or were ignorant to the gravity of the situation.

He blinked back to reality. North was bickering over which holiday was the best Christmas or Easter with (and this came as no surprise to the ancient guardian,) Bunny. Tooth gave directions to her baby teeth (Baby Tooth was on duty in the Southern Hemisphere, much to Sandy's disappointment. He had been hoping she would get Jack to open up, if only minutely.) and occasionally addressing (scolding) Phil over the annual amount of sugar they give during Christmas, and "don't get me started on Easter". He shuddered and pitied the poor yeti. He wouldn't wish Tooth's obsessive/borderline hysterical rants on sweets ruining perfectly good teeth on anyone; not even Pitch. Well…maybe Pitch. But only when he and Jack were present. With a camera.

Speaking of Jack, where was he? Sandy frowned. He wasn't on the ground with the others, not even in the corners watching with wary but slightly amused eyes, like he normally did. Then he felt it. A gentle brushing against his sand robes, a freezing chill that had it had been anyone else they would have shivered profusely. Jack's Wind. He followed it to the source until he found himself in the corner looking up to the rafters. There, hidden in the shadows, and on the rafters looking like he was coming up with multiple escape plans, was Jack. His eyes were still burdened. They were glazed with grief. And that's when it clicked.

Jack was winter. Jack Frost was the Spirit of Winter. There had been a blizzard today, Jack had told him excitedly.

"It's gonna be huge Sandy. Up in Alaska. It'll last for a few days then move to the upper regions of Canada before reaching the North Pole. Don't worry, it won't hit Santoff Claussen. It'll pass just south of there before finally dying out."

Despite what Bunny and the others thought Jack was a hard worker. Having winter to shepherd in both hemispheres, as well as having to deal with the winter sprites or the Yuuki-onnas of Japan, and let's not forget adding enough snow to mountain peaks to prevent horrible landslides or muddy runoffs that will sure to end in many deaths, added to his guardian duties and playing with Jamie and friends. Well, busy was an understatement.

Yet, Jack loved making snowflakes. He made them by hand in his spare time, crafting each snowflake uniquely so that there was never two of the same snowflakes that year. He loved how children would perk up when they saw his creations, how they squealed in delight as they caught some on their tongues. Even back when winter meant struggling to survive, many smiled at the mere sight of his delicate creation. Maybe, Sandy once "told" Jack, they can feel your love. Maybe they could tell a gentle soul created them.

He remembered hearing about the blizzard on the radio from a shop's open window somewhere near London. They had said a family had been camping too far out and out of season. They had found the bodies of the parents, but they didn't know where the children's corpses were.

They didn't believe for a second that they could possibly be alive. Today, though, there had been an update. They found the children. Two kids, seven and eight years old respectively. A brother and sister. The oldest was the boy, his name is Jack. The little girl, was named Charlotte. They were found curled up together in some church miles away from their dead parents. They only had slight hypothermia, nothing serious; and very early stages of frost bite, so there would be no damage, but they were alive. It was a miracle.

Unfortunately, now they were orphans. They didn't have any immediate family. Just their now deceased parents. They had to be put into the system. Placed in an orphanage, and possibly separated. Their entire lives were ruined by a single blizzard.

Now Sandy could see why Jack was so upset. Jack blamed himself for the deaths of their parents. How could he not? Winter had taken them. He was winter incarnate. His own snow, the very snowflakes he spent hours painstakingly perfecting, had buried them in a deadly blanket. It broke the sandman's heart how Jack's own kind heart would be the very thing causing him pain. But he had to wonder: did the others know about this?

Taking a chance that yes they did, but were just waiting for him so they could plot ways to cheer Jack up. He went up to them. Reality, he concluded, had just backhanded him.

All Sandy would receive was curious and confused glances (North and Bunny), a look for help (Phil), and an irritated "Not now Sandy." (Tooth).

Sandy was upset. He was heartbroken. He was disappointed. But most of all Sandy was enraged. Furious.

How could they? How could they ignore all the clues? All the signs? Why did they ignore all of the facts? Everything about Jack (save his despair) was fake today, so why did they overlook it? Why did they forget about Jack this way, and continue with their (pointless) conversations? Why would they do this? Didn't they…didn't they understand that being overlooked (ignored, forgotten) was more painful when the ones who did this actually know you?

That was it. Enough was enough.

When the "meeting" (really it was more of a social gathering than an actual meeting) finished, Sandy flew (faster than he'd ever gone before) over to Jack and pulled him to a corner so they could talk. Well, relatively speaking.

"Hey Sandy? What's up? 's something wrong?" Jack asked as quiet as the morning after a snowstorm.

Sandy shook his head, and started signing, hoping that Jack would understand.

"You wanna go…flying? Like together?" Jack sounded so bewildered, that Sandy swore he felt his heart break a little bit more (and he tried hard not to frown and possibly upset Jack). Instead, he nodded with a hopeful smile.

"Are you sure?" Jack queried quietly. As if speaking would make Sandy change his mind, or even disappear.

Sandy nodded grinning, desperately hoping that Jack would agree.

"Why not? I've still got time before winter, and the blizzard (Sandy doesn't fail to notice how he momentarily tenses) has pretty much calmed down. So what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Jack rambled, his eyes brightening with excitement. In that moment, Sandy had hope that maybe, just maybe, he'd be able to pull Jack out before he drowned. And his fears finally calmed down, if only for the moment.

So he smiled at the large (real) grin on Jack's face, and together they raced out of Santoff Claussen, with Jack's joyful laugh following, closely behind.


	3. Chapter 3

I don't own ROTG all rights go to William Joyce and DreamWorks

When Sandy found out, he was heartbroken. There was no other way to describe it. He supposed he should have expected it, seeing as how the others were blind to whom Jack really was and only ever saw him as a mischievous imp. He had been asking for disappointment in a sense, but he had been curious; what happened after he had been 'killed' by Pitch? The answer? Jack betrayed us and ended up with Pitch, ruining Easter. He somehow got the last light, a little boy named Jamie Bennett to believe in the Guardians again, so he was forgiven for his transgression.

That was wrong. He knew it was wrong because Jack wasn't like that at all, but how could he prove it if Jack just pasted on a convincingly fake smile and told them all 'Gee, thanks. You shouldn't have.' While his broke a little bit more. They were wrong and if Jack wasn't going to say what happened he knew some 'people' who would. First he would have to find the little tooth fairy that Jack calls 'Baby Tooth'…

He found her in Taiwan, collecting incisors from twins. Quickly he signed to her that he wanted to know what happened after they left the Warren. She told him everything that she knew, but couldn't go farther than seeing her sisters in cages, because that's when she got caught. However, she did tell Sandy of what happened right before they convinced the last light that the Guardians were real. But that was enough for Sandy.

His next stop was to see Seraphina Pitchner, aka Mother Nature. When he arrived at her grotto, he waited to see if he was welcomed or not, often times if you weren't welcomed you would experience every discomfort nature had to offer, and Sandy…well he'd rather not risk it. In any case, when he saw a monarch butterfly fly up to him purposely, he took that as a green light. After several twists and turns, he found her in her throne waiting for him. He told her the situation and finally asked if he could talk to the wind her side, since she was with him through it all. Seraphina was as appalled as Sandy was when the North Wind, Jack's wind, told them everything that had happened, the little girl's voice Jack had heard call out to him, and how for the first time in his entire existence as Jack Frost, he recognized somebody's voice without knowing who that person was…how he was being baited by Pitch, taunted by his insecurities, only to have them come true after his encounter. How he was so upset, so frustrated that he almost threw away his memories, if only to atone for his mistakes…how he was hurt when Pitch broke his staff and kicked him down a crevasse, leaving him for dead. She told them of his memories and how he shared them with her, of his sister, his mother, his friends, his father, his death…

She told them everything they needed to hear and more, because, she explained to them in her soft murmuring voice, someone needs to be there for my child, sometimes even I'm not enough…

Sandy's heart broke.

He understood that feeling. He felt it every time he saw Jack's eyes dull, every time his laughs became more forced, every time his smiles turned plastic, every time Bunny jabbed at a festering wound but didn't realize it because Jack would always counter with a scathing sarcastic remark, every time Tooth was too close to Jack for comfort and Jack had to hide otherwise unnoticeable flinches whenever she touched him or looks of incomprehension whenever she hugged him. He felt that way every time Jack gazed longingly at a toy in Santa's workshop only for North to remain completely oblivious and scold Jack saying that it was for the kids, and that he is still on the naughty list because he helped Pitch. He felt that way when he was doing his runs and he finds Jack staring inside a home with such sadness and longing that it hurts him, or the many times he's found Jack begging, pleading with Manny to just…talk to him.

Sandy never felt like he was enough for Jack.

He probably would never be enough for Jack, but at least Jack had more people in his corner now. At least Jack wouldn't have to be alone when he tried picking up the pieces of his heart. And maybe, just maybe, that was enough for Jack. With that thought he knew what he had to do.


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own ROTG it belong to Dreamworks and William Joyce.**

It took a fair bit of planning on Sandy's part, mainly due to Wind's insistence on maintaining everything that they learned to themselves. It was the one thing Wind had been adamant about; if they revealed the truth about what really happened, they would be betraying Jack's trust in them. To Jack, his memories-both before and after his being Jack Frost were _priceless-_ to encroach on that...it wouldn't end well. Besides, what Jack craved-what he needed was acceptance, not guilt induced apologies.

As it was, Jack was closed off; and getting him comfortable with people, even when he wanted to know them, was a challenge in and of itself. Sandy knew he had to tread carefully or suffer the consequences. One misstep and he'd destroy the trust Jack had in him, and that betrayal would be far more painful to him than the Easter Debacle (and everything that entailed).

So he created dreams specifically for the Guardians. He hoped that they would understand it...for Jack's sake...

Jack knew something was up. It was in the way Wind fluttered and gushed in random swoops. It was in the excited tweets and twitters of Baby Tooth; in her bright smile and jittery nerves. It was in the way that Sandy's dream sand curled and _danced_ around him.

It was in the way the Aurora Borealis lit up the sky on a random March afternoon, instead of on the pre-scheduled dates for the bi-monthly meetings.

It was in the way the Guardians doted on him the moment they saw him. In the way Sandy smiled enigmatically as Jack was greeted with hugs from North and Tooth, and a gentle noogie from Bunny. In the way he felt accepted down to the core of his being.

It was obvious in the comforting warmth he felt in his chest, that something had changed. That everything would be alright.

It was in the way they said his name, with respect and fondness. It was in their faces when they greeted him- he was welcomed and trusted. And that was enough for him.

It was more than enough...

...and Sandy knew it.

~Fin~

So...I had trouble coming up with a specific plan for Sandy to follow that wouldn't involve simply telling the Guardians what happened. I always feel like Jack should tell them when he feels comfortable with them, when he's over it. The only way I see him being over it is when he feels accepted and loved by the others. Imo. Anyway, I hope you guys liked it; and sorry for the late (almost a year later...) update. I AM going to continue my other stories, I'm just really slow with updating...sorry. But thank you for your support on this Drabble that was meant to be a one-shot. Anyway, many thanks and hopefully the continuation for the rest of my fics are on their way. *fingers crossed*


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